1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head which is mounted on a hard disk device, etc., and scans a recording surface of the disk by a CSS system or the like and a magnetic head apparatus having the magnetic head thereon, and in particular it relates to a magnetic head capable of achieving reduction in the lift of the magnetic head while enabling the magnetic head to have the floating stability and collisions of the magnetic head with a disk surface to be properly avoided and a magnetic head apparatus having the magnetic head thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a conventional magnetic head M1 with a surface 1 facing a recording medium and shown upwardly.
As shown in FIG. 14, on an end-face 3 in the trailing side T of a slider S1, a magnetic element 13 made of a ceramic material is formed, which comprises a thin-film recovery element utilizing a magnetoresistive effect and an inductive type thin-film recording element. The magnetic element 13 is covered with a protecting layer 4 made of alumina, etc. Furthermore, on an end-face 4a in the trailing side T of the protecting layer 4, terminal parts 5 connected to the magnetic element are formed.
As shown in FIG. 14, in the substantially central portion of the slider S1 in the trailing side T, an ABS face 6 in the trailing side is formed so as to rise from a surface 1 facing a recording medium toward a disk surface. As shown in FIG. 14, a gap portion G of the magnetic element 13 is exposed from the ABS face 6.
Moreover, the slider S1 shown in FIG. 14 is provided with rail faces 7 and 7 formed from the leading side R toward the trailing side T so as to rise from the surface 1 facing the recording medium. Both the rail faces 7 and 7 are connected together via a step face 8 raised from the from the surface 1 facing the recording medium so as to have the same height as that of the rail face 7.
As shown in FIG. 14, on end faces of the rail faces 7 and 7 in the trailing side, side ABS faces 9 and 10 are formed which are raised from the surface 1 facing the recording medium so as to have the same heights as that of the ABS face 6 in the trailing side.
Furthermore, in the leading side R, a leading ABS face 11 is also formed which is raised from the step face 8 so as to have the same height as that of the ABS face 6 in the trailing side.
As shown in FIG. 15, the magnetic head M1 is elastically supported by a supporting member formed of a flexure 12 and a load beam 14 from the surface opposite to the surface 1 facing the recording medium.
In the CSS system, the magnetic head M1 makes in contact with a disk D at the beginning.
Air flows over the disk surface between the disk and the magnetic head M1 from the leading side R when the disk rotates. Due to this airflow, positive pressure is applied on the ABS faces 6, 9, 10, and 11 so as to float the magnetic head M1.
On the other hand, on the surface 1 facing the recording medium surrounded by the rail faces 7 and 7 and the step face 8, negative pressure is applied so as to absorb the magnetic head M1 to the disk.
Simultaneously with starting of the disk D, a floating force is applied to the magnetic head M1 due to the airflow on the disk surface, so that the magnetic head M1 is floated in an inclined position in which the leading side R is raised from the disk D, and scans the disk surface in a position in that the trailing side T of the magnetic head M1 is slightly floated from the disk D. In FIG. 15, the lift from the disk D to a gap portion G of a magnetic element 13 is indicated by X1.
In FIG. 14, the face exposing the gap portion G of the magnetic element 13 is the trailing ABS face 6 on which positive pressure is applied, and which is formed the highest from the surface 1 facing the recording medium identically to other ABS faces so that the lift X1 between the disk face and the gap portion G of a magnetic element 13 can be easily set to be small when the magnetic head M1 is floated over the disk D. Reduction in the lift X1 has been demanded with recent increasing of the recording density of the disk D.
However, when there are such advances in the reduction of the lift X1, when the magnetic head M1 is inclined in the pitching direction or rolling direction, an edge 6c in the trailing side of the ABS face 6 in the trailing side or corners 6a and 6a in the trailing side T of the ABS face 6 in the trailing side may collide with the disk D so as to damage the magnetic head M1 or the disk surface.
In the magnetic head M1 shown in FIG. 14, there has also been a problem that because in regions on both sides of the trailing ABS face 6 in the lateral direction (X-direction in the drawing), the ABS faces 9 and 10 raised from the surface 1 facing the recording medium are formed, especially when the magnetic head M1 is in a floated position inclined in the rolling direction, the ABS faces 9 and 10 are liable to collide with disk D so as to damage the magnetic head M1 or the disk surface.
The floated position of the magnetic head M1 is determined by a balance between three factors, i.e., positive and negative pressures and an elastic force of the supporting member.
As shown in FIG. 14, however, because the face exposing the gap portion G of the magnetic element 13 is the trailing ABS face 6 directly raised from the surface 1 facing the recording medium on which the negative pressure is applied, and the height of the trailing ABS face 6 from the surface 1 facing the recording medium is very large, the airflow flowing from the leading side R collides with an end face 6d in the leading side vertically extending from the surface 1 facing the recording medium toward the recording medium and the airflow is thereby difficult to be smoothly led to the trailing ABS face 6, so that the floated position of the magnetic head M1 is liable to be destabilized by losing the balance between positive and negative pressures and the elastic force.
Accordingly, in order to solve conventional problems described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic head and a magnetic head apparatus using the magnetic head in which reduction of a floating lift of the magnetic head is especially planned while a collision of the magnetic head with a disk surface can be appropriately avoided and furthermore a floated position can be stabilized.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a magnetic head comprises a slider and a magnetic element disposed on an end face of the slider in the trailing side for writing and/or reading, wherein a plurality of ABS faces are formed on a surface of the slider facing a recording medium so as to rise toward the recording medium and be at the same level as each other, the plurality of ABS faces serving to generate positive pressure, and wherein a surface facing the element is formed on the ABS face in the trailing side so as to further rise toward the recording medium, and a gap portion of the magnetic element is located on the surface facing the element.
In the present invention, because the surface facing the element, in which the gap portion of the magnetic element is located, is formed to rise from the trailing ABS face which is a surface generating positive pressure, the gap portion of the magnetic element can be more properly brought closer to the disk surface, enabling reduction in the lift of a future magnetic head to be achieved.
Moreover, according to the present invention, the surface facing the element can be formed to have a size including at least the gap portion of the magnetic element and to have an area smaller than that of the ABS face, so that even when the magnetic head according to the present invention is inclined in the rolling or pitching direction, trailing edges and corners of the surface facing the element are difficult to collide with the recording medium, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the recording medium to be properly prevented.
As in the present invention, when the surface facing the element is further formed on the ABS face formed to rise from the surface facing the recording medium, the height of the ABS face can be reduced by the raised height of the surface facing the element, and a leading end face is raised from the surface facing the recording medium toward the ABS face and the surface facing the element via at least two steps, so that air may flow smoothly from the surface facing the recording medium toward the surface facing the element compared with a conventional apparatus, so that positive and negative pressures and an elastic force can be well-balanced, enabling the floating position of the magnetic head to be stabilized.
In the present invention, preferably, when the height from the surface facing the recording medium to the ABS face is h1 and the height from the ABS face to the surface facing the element is h2, the ratio h2/h1 is at least 0.4% and 2.5% at most.
That is, the height from the ABS face to the surface facing the element is extremely smaller compared to the height from the surface facing the recording medium to the ABS face. The positive pressure is generated not only on the ABS face but also on the surface facing the element; however, when the height of the surface facing the element raised from the ABS face is extremely small as mentioned above, the intensity of positive pressure generated on the ABS face is substantially maintained constant almost independently of the raised height of the surface facing the element, and positive and negative pressures and the elastic force can be well-balanced, enabling the floating position of the magnetic head to be stabilized.
In the present invention, preferably, between a leading edge of the trailing ABS face and the surface facing the recording medium formed is a step face having a height lower by one step than that of the ABS face. The step face serves as an introducing end for properly leading airflow toward the ABS face. Thereby, the airflow is smoothly led from the surface facing the recording medium toward the ABS face and the surface facing the element, so that positive and negative pressures and the elastic force can be well-balanced, enabling the floating position of the magnetic head to be stabilized.
In the present invention, a leading end face of the trailing ABS face and a leading end face of the surface facing the element may be preferably inclined surfaces which gradually rise from the surface facing the recording medium toward the surface facing the element. Thereby, the airflow may be more smoothly led from the surface facing the recording medium between the magnetic head and the disk and toward the ABS face and the surface facing the element, enabling the floating position of the magnetic head to be more stabilized.
In the present invention, preferably, a side face of the surface facing the element is provided with an inclined surface formed thereon which starts from a trailing edge of the surface facing the element and gradually approaches a side face of the slider when proceeding toward the leading, and wherein a gap portion of the magnetic element is located inside the inclined surface.
Even when the magnetic head has a floating position inclined in the rolling or pitching direction, trailing edges and corners of the surface facing the element are thereby difficult to collide with the disk surface, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the disk to be properly prevented.
In the present invention, it is more preferable that both side faces of the surface facing the element and the trailing ABS face be provided with respective inclined surfaces formed thereon which start from respective trailing edges of the surface facing the element and the trailing ABS face and gradually approach a side face of the slider when proceeding toward the leading side, and wherein a gap portion of the magnetic element be located inside the inclined surfaces.
Even when the magnetic head has a floating position inclined in the rolling or pitching direction, trailing edges and corners of both the surface facing the element and the ABS face are thereby difficult to collide with the disk surface, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the disk to be properly prevented.
In the present invention, the inclined surface of the surface facing the element and the inclined surface of the trailing ABS face may be continuous. Thereby, the inclined surfaces formed on both the surface facing the element and the ABS face can be readily formed.
In the present invention, it is more preferable that two of the inclined surfaces be provided so as to have an apex formed at a trailing edge and gradually approach both lateral side-faces of the slider when proceeding toward the leading-side, respectively, and wherein a gap portion of the magnetic element be located at a position sandwiched between the two inclined surfaces. Thereby, the trailing edges are furthermore difficult to collide with the disk surface, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the disk to be more properly prevented.
In the present invention, it is preferable that an inclination xcex81 of the inclined surface relative to the width direction of the slider be at least 20xc2x0 and 60xc2x0 at most. Within this range, collision of the disk surface with the trailing edges of the surface facing the element and/or the ABS face can be properly avoided while the gap portion of the magnetic element can be properly located inside the inclined surface.
In the present invention, the apex may preferably have a curved surface. Thereby, collision of the disk surface with the apex can be properly avoided, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the disk to be more properly prevented.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the surface facing the recording medium extend between the ABS faces and both side faces of the slider. That is, in bilateral regions between the ABS face and the both side faces of the slider, a raised face such as the ABS face is not formed to rise from the surface facing the recording medium. When the magnetic head has a floating position inclined especially in the rolling direction, collision of the disk with the ABS face and the bilateral side faces of the slider can be avoided, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the disk to be properly prevented.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a magnetic head comprises a slider and a magnetic element disposed on an end face of the slider in the trailing side for writing and/or reading, wherein a surface facing an element is formed in the trailing side to be raised from a surface of the slider facing a recording medium, side faces of the surface facing the element having inclined surfaces starting from the trailing side and gradually approaching side faces of the slider when proceeding toward the leading-side, wherein the surface facing the recording medium extends between both the side faces of the slider, and wherein a gap portion of the magnetic element is located on the surface facing the element and between the inclined surfaces.
In the present invention described above, even when the magnetic head has a floating position inclined in the rolling or pitching direction, collision of the disk with the trailing edges of the surface facing the element, the surface facing the element, and the bilateral side faces of the slider, is properly avoided, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the disk to be properly prevented.
In the present invention, a surface other than the surface facing the element may be preferably formed so as to rise from the surface facing the recording medium, and the surface facing the element may be preferably closest to the recording medium.
During floating of the magnetic head, the gap portion of the magnetic element can be brought closer to the disk surface, enabling reduction in the lift of the magnetic head accompanied by future improvement in recording density of the disk surface to be achieved.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, a magnetic head apparatus comprises any magnetic head described above and a supporting member for elastically supporting the magnetic head from the side opposite to the surface facing the recording medium. Thereby, reduction in the floating lift of the magnetic head can be achieved while collision of the magnetic head with the disk surface can be properly avoided, further enabling the magnetic head apparatus capable of stabilizing floating of the magnetic head to be readily produced.
According to the present invention described above in detail, because the surface facing the element, in which the gap portion of the magnetic element is located, is formed to rise from the trailing ABS face which is a surface generating positive pressure, the gap portion of the magnetic element can be more properly brought close to the disk surface while the floating position can be stabilized and collision with the disk surface can be properly avoided.
According to the present invention, side faces of the surface facing the element may be provided with inclined surfaces formed thereon which start from a trailing edge of the surface facing the element and gradually approach side faces of the slider when proceeding toward the leading side, so that even when the magnetic head is inclined in the rolling or pitching direction, collision of the disk surface with the surface facing the element can be avoided, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the disk to be properly prevented.
Moreover, in the present invention, because the bilateral sides of the surface facing the element may be formed of only the surface facing the recording medium which has the lowest height, even when the magnetic head is inclined especially in the rolling direction, collision of the disk surface with the magnetic head can be properly avoided, enabling damages to the magnetic head and the disk to be properly prevented.